Livslang læring for alle?:En arbejdslivshistorisk undersøgelse af det ufaglærte arbejdsliv som betingelse for livslang læring og opkvalificering ; Lifelong learning for all?: An examination of unskilled working lives as a condition for lifelong learning and upskilling

This dissertation examines unskilled work-life as a condition for participating in lifelong learning. The point of departure for this research is the widespread consensus that lifelong learning is necessary in order to ensure both societal and individual welfare and wellbeing. This consensus is rooted in the assumption that a more intensive competitive global economy and advancements in technology as well as new models of organisation have made certain skills obsolete. Accordingly, the labour market develops with a bias toward skills, as demand for an unskilled workforce falls, while demand for skilled and highly educated labour increases. Concurrently, research examining adult education reveals a Matthew Effect, whereby those possessing the highest education are most likely to participate in vocational and educational training. The identification of these challenges formed the impetus for the formulation of a Danish Strategy on Lifelong Learning and Training in 2007. The research question is: How does an unskilled work-life condition the workers’ establishment and reproduction of a learner identity that fulfils the demand to engage in lifelong learning formulated by the national strategy for lifelong learning and training? In order to answer this it is necessary, first, to identify the requirements formulated in the strategy, and the assumptions and premises on which these are based. Next, is it imperative to understand what constitutes the establishment of a learner identity, which enables the fulfilment of the requirements. By taking the perspective of the employee, the dissertation focuses on how specific experiences from an unskilled work-life constitute one’s perception toward participating in various learning activities. It is assumed that the work-life must be perceived as a specific learning space, which give rise to immediate experiences, which determines how the employee perceive participation in different learning activities, and their own possibilities to engage in lifelong learning and training. .